When the Google Pixel first appeared, many users and analysts considered it almost the best thing that happened to Android in its entire history. Now even the company's management thinks that the line has simply failed. At the same time, smartphones are really not so bad and some models, for example, Google Pixel 3a, can be safely considered an excellent combination of price and quality. The only problem is that it's like in sports. Even an obvious outsider can sometimes perform very well under a certain set of circumstances, but then he will again roll back down the standings. What happens to smartphones, which by definition should be the best? Most importantly, will the situation change?
This smartphone should be the best, but it's not working yet.
Can Goolge make a good smartphone?
A few behind-the-scenes news has surfaced recently related to Google and its Pixel line of phones. In a nutshell, some of Google's executives expressed frustration with the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL even before the devices were launched, and poor device sales only confirmed their apprehension.
Two of the key people on the Pixel team recently left the company. One of them is Mark Levoy, a digital photography expert who is why Google Pixel cameras are so highly regarded. It's hard to say where Pixel cameras will evolve now without this specialist. I don't know what went wrong and why exactly Levoy became one of those who left the team, but how some of the best cameras on the market will develop further is a big question.
The most unpleasant thing in this whole situation is that the company has everything it needs to create an excellent smartphone – money, technology, time, specialists, Android – but for some reason it is not possible to implement what was conceived. I'm not an ardent Pixel fan, but even this is frustrating for me.
Many manufacturers are trying to make niche smartphones (or maybe it just happens). Xiaomi for those who want to buy an inexpensive but high-quality smartphone, LG for music lovers and built-in DACs, Samsung for those who do not mind bothering with settings, OnePlus for those who are opposition tuned to other smartphones. Google could release a smartphone for ordinary users, but so far it has failed.
LG often puts a lot of emphasis on the musical component of their smartphones.
The only problem, of course, is that Google sells far fewer Pixel phones than the rest of the company – even LG, which only the lazy doesn't criticize. And it is the largest tech company that has given the operating system to roughly 75 percent of the world's smartphones.
Apple with a couple of smartphone models occupies a quarter of the mobile market and it is this iPhone 11 that is the best-selling smartphone in the world. In second place is also its device. All because of how she creates a smartphone, controlling everything in it, and most importantly, the combination of software and hardware.
Goolge can do that too. There is even a feeling that not only can, but wants to do just that, and not just another smartphone on Android, of which there are hundreds. But the company is doing something wrong.
Why no one wants to buy a Google Pixel
Perhaps these lines are read by someone who dreams of buying a Google Pixel or is even going to do it, but personally it seems to me that there will be much more people who are skeptical about this venture and think more about what they would have done if not for one thing “but”. This “but” is different for everyone, and here are some examples of this discrepancy with the idea of an ideal smartphone.
Poor Google Pixel battery life
It's not clear what Google was thinking when they equipped the Google Pixel 4 with a battery that was even less powerful than the Google Pixel 3. And that smartphone did not show the miracles of battery life, and now it is even worse. Numerous user reviews only confirmed these concerns, and only the lazy did not complain about the low battery life.
The battery has never been a particular strength of the Google Pixel.
Battery life is already one of the most critical aspects of every Pixel phone. Why would anyone think that a smaller battery would be a good idea? Especially considering that smartphone manufacturers are striving to increase this indicator on the contrary and place a lot of emphasis on it.
Low memory in Google Pixel smartphones
Google can prove to us that Pixel phones don't need a lot of RAM or storage, but we know the truth. Yes, the company spends a lot of effort, time and money on optimizing the system and making sure that both types of memory are not loaded so much, but in reality it is not working out very well.
Features Android are such that no matter how much you give him RAM, he will gobble up everything. This iPhone can work on 2-3 GB of RAM and everything will be fine, but with Android this does not work, and many manufacturers already put 12 GB of RAM in the flagships. Probably, this is also not just that.
Only these manufacturers are still holding onto a small amount of RAM.
Built-in memory, no matter how cool the storage optimization systems work, should also be more. 64 GB for a flagship is just not serious right now. It's hard to tell right away who does this, except for Google and Apple. Even many cheaper smartphones in the minimum configuration even get 128 GB. It seems to me that the minimum values for the Google Pixel should be 8/128 GB. Moreover, now both types of memory cost just a penny.
Google Pixel smartphones don't stand up to the competition
A smartphone company must not only understand what users want, but also offer its vision. I remember how 10-12 years ago I read on one of the forums that if it were not for iPhone, we would still be poking with stylus at the screens of our PDA. A damn right thought. Users don't know what they want other than improving what is already there. Often it is up to the manufacturer to decide this for them.
Google somehow manages to act against all systems and do the opposite. Reduce frames? Add camera modules? Do fast charging? No, you haven't heard.
Perhaps, if you cannot offer something fundamentally new, you don’t need to be so stuck for old technologists. Isn't it time to come to terms with what others are offering, and at least just match the market?
Google Pixel user problems
Google smartphone users are often faced with hardware issues. This is not my opinion, but the reviews of real buyers and members of our Telegram chat. What can Goolge do in this situation? Provide more service coverage.
This smartphone was one of the best value for money last year.
At one time I turned to the service Apple with scratches on the screen from the keyboard. I did it more for show, but in the end they replaced the screen with the top cover, keyboard and at the same time the battery, since it changes along with the keyboard. As a result, using a laptop for a year, I just got an almost new device. All this, if changed on our own, would cost about 50,000 rubles. I definitely like this attitude towards the client. If Google provided the same level of service, the attitude towards it would be very different.
Where can you buy Google Pixel
There are so many markets where the company does not sell its smartphones. Of course, they are brought there by resellers, but not always they can cover the needs of the market. And just the presence of an official manufacturer on the market always stimulates sales. Even OnePlus started to sell much better here after they officially appeared on store shelves.
Google Pixel advantages
If we talk about the advantages of the Pixel, then they are definitely there too. First of all, they include a very long support for updates and a large infrastructure, including laptops, smartphones, headphones, speakers, a smart home system and even Google Chromecast, the reasons for buying which I gave not so long ago.
All of this is further proof that Google has everything to become a fan product like iPhone. But the company is not very confident about it. As a result, having the opportunity to buy Google Pixel, I prefer to use Huawei and Samsung.
The Google Pixel 4 has some upsides, but the Huawei P30 Pro is still much better. But it should be the other way around.
Most likely, Google's problem is that a very large number of people are involved in development and debugging. However, the work of the departments is very poorly coordinated. I do not consider myself much smarter than Google and I am sure that the company understands the essence of the problem, but simply cannot arrange the work of different specialists. Perhaps the problem lies at the very beginning, back in the time when the smartphone was just started to be produced and something was done wrong, and now they simply cannot fix it so quickly. It is also possible that personnel reshuffles are designed to drastically change something, since there is nowhere else to pull.
After all, why other companies can build good smartphones and lead the industry while Google can't? I, not as a fan of technologies and an expert in the field of markets, but as a simple user who stands in front of a shop window and thinks of what to buy, should not be worried. Just give me a good smartphone so I won't be disappointed in it. You're Google! Who else if not you?